Aaron Judge Ties Yogi Berra on Yankees Home Run List
After connecting his home run in the first inning, Aaron Judge received a shout of encouragement from the New York Yankees manager, Aaron Boone, who shouted “Yogi!” towards the outstanding batter. Indeed, Judge tied the legendary catcher Yogi Berra for fifth place in franchise history by hitting his 358th home run.Judge’s hit was a 0-2 cut from Martin Pérez that went deep to center field for a solo home run. Judge’s number 43 home run of the season had an exit velocity of 112.6 mph and traveled 426 feet. Judge tried for another home run in the third inning, but his hit hit the center field wall and turned into a double. He also connected on a single in the fifth and was out in the seventh. Batting with a runner on base and one out in the ninth, he lofted the ball to center field.Not getting the win stings a little, but to have the opportunity to tie one of the greatest, if not the greatest Yankee in home runs, is something very special. The way Yogi played, what it meant to these pinstripes, you knew how much it meant to be a Yankee to him. I feel the same way. I’m honored to wear this jersey, so it’s great to be on that list with him.
Aaron Judge
Judge, 33, also hit a solo home run in the Yankees’ 11-inning victory on Saturday night. The two-time American League Most Valuable Player and seven-time All-Star batted .241 (20 for 83) with 6 home runs, 12 RBIs and a .417 on-base percentage in 24 games in August. What’s next for Judge and the Yankees is four consecutive series against playoff contenders, starting with the first game of a three-game series in Houston on Tuesday night.He just missed the last one. I think he made the right move with the swing. It looked like he had a hanging pitch there and I thought he took a great swing at it. He got a little underneath it and popped it straight up in the air. That’s the way it goes.
Aaron Boone
Babe Ruth (659 home runs), Mickey Mantle (536), Lou Gehrig (493), and Joe DiMaggio (361), all members of the Hall of Fame, top the Yankees’ home run list. Judge’s hit produced the first change in the franchise’s top five since Mantle hit his 203rd home run on August 7, 1957, breaking a tie with Bill Dickey. Judge was selected by the Yankees in the first round of the 2013 amateur draft and made his debut with the Yankees in 2016. Berra was 90 years old when he died in 2015. Judge was activated from the 10-day injured list on August 5 after being sidelined by a strain in his right elbow flexor. He has been acting as the team’s designated hitter, but could return to the outfield at some point this season.That’s what we want. Time is running out. We want to play against the best teams, especially at the end of the season, this is what it’s all about.
Aaron Judge
